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July 19, 2007

Waxing Poetic

Chris Cavey

The past two weeks seem to have been devoted to taxes. Property tax bills filled the carts, bags and trucks of mail carriers. Rumors out of Annapolis, gibberish from the Internet and speculation by the media have also been filled with tax increase speculation.

Unable to cope with the stress of a pending decrease in my income and additional government oppression, my feelings turned to poetic readings, perhaps to relax.

But alas, the words of Elizabeth Barrett Browning appeared to take new form as my thoughts of future taxation overtook her calming prose.

Her verses were replaced with the mantra of inefficient and greedy government as Democrat leadership in Annapolis salivates for a special tax session. Oh, let me count the ways!

(Picture this oration by a certain Maryland governor, President of a Senate or perhaps a Speaker of a House.)

How can I tax thee? Let me count the ways.

I can tax thee into the depth and breadth and height

Government can reach, until your burden is out of sight

For the ends of bloated programs and ideals of waste.

I'll tax thee into levels of blurred and confused haze

As most desperate grows the need, by budget and liberals-plight.

I'll tax thee freely, as average Marylanders strive to fight;

I'll tax thee surely, even as they turn from my praise.

I'll tax thee with the passions that I once put to use

In broken campaign promises, and desecration of public faith.

I'll tax thee with every tax I deem so to choose

With and by my delight, -I'll tax thee with the breath,

Smiles, tears, of all my entire Democrat life! - and, if God choose,

I shall but tax thee still better yet again after thy death.

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